


Little Lessons Learned

by Cherry101



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Future Fic, Light Angst, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Pining, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 13:19:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18235436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherry101/pseuds/Cherry101
Summary: Runaan just raises an eyebrow.He’s pretty used to this. Other elves have always commented on how the two of them were total opposites. He’s the quiet one, the stern one with dry humor and a tough outer shell. She’s the loud one, with a smile to brighten rooms and a laugh to make music with. She doesn’t act like a typical moonshadow elf, but that’s alright.“Yes, Taanya?” He asks, with a touch of amusement in his voice. He crosses his arms, watching her dance around.“Oh, it’s wonderful news, Runaan!” she exclaims, clapping her hands together.“Did you get in?”“We got in!”And he smiles because he’s proud.~~~~Or, a story of growth





	Little Lessons Learned

**Author's Note:**

> This took me so long ahhhh 
> 
> Anyways, Runaan is really fun to write even if he may be slightly out of character. I had a blast. This was a blast. Enjoy!

“Runaan, Runaan!” 

 

He glances up briefly, sitting and sharpening his blade. He’s almost immediately smothered in a hug, arms wrapping around him. 

 

“Taanya… get… off…” he forces out, the air all but squeezed out of him. 

 

She pulls away, her cheeks flushed, “sorry, sorry.” 

 

In the light of the sun, Taaniya’s hair practically glows, curling around her shoulders. Her lovely blue eyes sparkle as well, and it is times like this that Runaan feels his heart pang. He misses her, sometimes. 

 

“What brings you here?” He asks, rubbing at his arms. 

 

Taaniya smiles, twirling around. She’s devoid of her usual gear, wearing nothing but a simple skirt and shirt, a moon rune necklace around her neck. It’s a simple outfit, one not worn in their culture, and Runaan already knows where this is headed. 

 

“It’s been a few years,” she starts, twisting at her skirt, “I just thought, that… well…” 

 

“Well?” He prompts. 

 

“Kovai and I are being married,” she says, and he notices now the pendants in her ears, “and I thought that you might want to be in the ceremony. You’re my best friend, Runaan.” 

 

His heart pangs again, but he ignores it. He may still have feelings for Taaniya, maybe, but he knows Kovai will take care of her. 

 

“Of course, Taanya,” he says finally, standing, “of course I will.” 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Runaan!” 

 

Luckily, she’s learned her lesson by now, and doesn’t try to hug him. Instead, she all but spins around him, her skirts flaring as she steps and twists in excitement. 

 

Runaan just raises an eyebrow. 

 

He’s pretty used to this. Other elves have always commented on how the two of them were total opposites. He’s the quiet one, the stern one with dry humor and a tough outer shell. She’s the loud one, with a smile to brighten rooms and a laugh to make music with. She doesn’t act like a typical moonshadow elf, but that’s alright. 

 

“Yes, Taanya?” He asks, with a touch of amusement in his voice. He crosses his arms, watching her dance around. 

 

“Oh, it’s wonderful news, Runaan!” she exclaims, clapping her hands together.

 

“Did you get in?” 

 

“We got in!” 

 

And he smiles because he’s proud. 

 

The Dragonguard is elite, difficult to get into. It is also the highest honor a warrior can have. Runaan’s already resigned himself to an assassin’s life, already teaching classes and working with a small group of others. Still. 

 

“You and Kovai both, then?” He asks. 

 

Taaniya nods, her hands now twisting strands of her hair together, “Yeah. We have to do this three-year long training before we can start. That’s probably a good thing… because…” 

 

“Because…” 

 

“Because I’m also…” She stops moving, then, and glances fondly at herself, “Runaan, I’m pregnant.” 

 

“Wait… what?” Runaan stands, taking a closer look at his childhood friend and former lover. 

 

Taaniya nods, “I didn’t know how to tell you,” she confesses, rubbing at her stomach. She’s barely showing at this point, her figure still as lithe as it was ten years ago. 

 

“Pregnant…” Runaan muses, swallowing thickly, “how difficult will it be to raise a child in the Dragonguard?” 

 

“It will be fine, Runaan,” and she offers him a comforting smile, “you’ll see.” 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

And then months pass, and he’s visiting a small house, raising a hand to knock on the door hesitantly. 

  
“I’m not so sure about this…” he murmurs, frowning.

 

Tikaal nudges his arm forward, his darker eyes all but sparkling, “go on, Runaan. She invited you, right?” 

 

“Right.” Runaan swallows, “Thanks, Tikaal. For letting me stay with you. For everything.” 

 

“It’s not a problem, really,” the other elf says, shifting on his feet awkwardly, “now go on. Stop procrastinating.” 

 

“Fine, fine,” and he forces himself to rap his knuckles against the door. It opens almost immediately. Kovai stands at the entrance, his dark violet eyes narrowed almost bitterly. 

 

“What are you doing here?” He asks, and Runaan immediately stiffens. 

 

“Taanya invited me,” he says defensively, “she had a letter sent to my house to let me know-”   
  


“Well, she’s resting, so leave.” 

 

Runaan’s about to protest - he likes Kovai, really, but the elf is so stubborn sometimes - but then Taaniya’s calling out with a soft - “is that Runaan?” - and then Kovai purses his lips and steps aside, his eyes still narrowed. 

 

Inside and through the house into the bedroom, Taaniya’s laying in bed, resting against the back of the headboard with a tiny thing swaddled in her arms. She looks tired but peaceful, her eyes wide and fond. 

 

“How are you feeling?” He asks her, moving awkwardly to sit at her side. He fiddles with his fingers, looking down on the child. 

 

“Exhausted,” she laughs, smiling softly, “but well worth it, I think.” Her eyes begin to water, “Well worth the pain for my beautiful girl.” 

 

“What is her name then?” Runaan shifts himself again, watching the baby open her eyes revealing a pale but dark blue - one that could easily shift to another shade. 

 

“Rayla,” Taaniya says softly, “her name is Rayla.” 

 

“A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” 

 

“Would you like to hold her?” When Runaan gives her a skeptical look, Taaniya just laughs, holding out her arms, “come on, Runaan, it isn’t like you’ll hurt her.” 

 

“I’m not… fine. Fine.” And Runaan allows his dearest friend to place the tiny child into his arms. 

 

Rayla’s eyes shine in the light with a pure innocence. She’s not crying, but she’s not smiling either - just staring up at him dubiously. He’s never been a children person, but watching her give up on the staring match, yawn, and press her head into his chest warms his heart. 

 

“She likes you,” Taaniya teases, “she always cries when Kovai tries to hold her.” 

 

“I’m honored,” Runaan says dryly. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Are you sure about this?” Runaan frets, pacing in the room. 

 

“Of course,” Tikaal laughs, leaning against the arm of the chair, “Stars know you’re hopeless with children. Besides, she’s a cutie. I don’t mind.” 

 

Runaan turns to look at his boyfriend, scanning his gaze for any sign of insincerity. When he doesn’t find any, he sighs, stopping in his tracks. 

 

“I’m an assassin. I teach fighting classes. Surely - surely - I can handle babysitting.” He mutters, rubbing at his temples. 

 

A knock startles him out of his thoughts. 

 

He barely has the chance to open the door before he’s assaulted by a tiny pair of arms wrapping around his legs. “Runa, Runa!” Said tiny pair of arms exclaim, and he glances down to meet lavender eyes and short white hair. 

 

Runaan chuckles, “hello, Rayla.” 

 

Rayla grins at him, releasing his legs to step into the room. When she sees Tikaal, her eyes widen again, and she exclaims, “tika tika!” before dashing over to him. 

 

“She sure is excitable,” Runaan mentions to a very stressed out Taaniya.

 

“Excitable is one word,” his friend agrees, “thank you so much for agreeing to this - I want to bring her with me but she’s just so young.” 

 

“It’s alright, Taanya. This is huge for you - I don’t mind. I can teach her some basic skills while she’s here, too. Get a nice headstart on her training.” He says this last part mostly as a tease, despite his deadpan tone.

 

“She’s only three!” Taaniya scolds. 

 

“I know, I know.” Runaan forces himself to give a rare smile, “you should be going. Don’t worry. Rayla’s in good hands.” 

 

“I know,” Taaniya smiles, “I’m glad you found him, Runaan.” 

 

“...yeah, so am I.” 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Babysitting turns into raising pretty quickly. 

 

Taaniya sends letters all the time, asking about him and about Rayla and begging for forgiveness. They haven’t let her leave, she writes, and she hates that she forced a child on him for so long but she appreciates all that he’s doing. When he writes back, it’s to say that Rayla is fine, they are fine, everything’s fine. 

 

He doesn’t tell her about the necklace Tikaal had offered one day, long after Rayla had fallen asleep. About the proposal made, the date set. He doesn’t tell her about how cute Rayla looks when she has flowers braided into her hair, how adorable she is when Tikaal persuades her to wear the teal and brown dress they had specially made. 

 

Runaan doesn’t really… mind raising Rayla. She’s seven now, and probably the most talented elf he’s ever trained. She’s a fast learner, her speed and agility natural, and she picks up on his techniques without him saying a single word. 

 

He likes it. 

 

What he doesn’t like as much is… well, everything else about raising her. 

 

She’s temperamental(he attributes that to her father) and very, very stubborn. Runaan is not a patient person - he has such troubles sitting still and letting things be - which makes dealing with Rayla very, very difficult. 

 

Take bathtime, for example. 

 

Ever since she fell into a frozen lake, almost a year ago, she’s hated water with a burning passion. This wouldn’t be a problem, except she’s also a child and children love to play outside. 

 

In the dirt. 

 

“I don’t wanna!” She protests every single time, shaking her head something furious, “I don’t wanna!” 

 

“You have to be clean!” Runaan insists. 

 

Tikaal just places a hand on Runaan’s shoulder and offers a comforting smile, “let me.” 

 

Tikaal’s magic of patience and understanding works most of the time, thankfully. Somehow, he manages to warm even the coldest of hearts, and persuading Rayla to take on tasks she doesn’t want to do is one of his many, many talents. 

 

Runaan doesn’t always understand how but that’s okay. He doesn’t have to. Raising Rayla has only brought him and Tikaal closer together. After all, if you can raise a child together, surely you can tackle life together.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Rayla’s twelve when a messenger knocks frantically at the door. 

 

Runaan is exhausted after a long day of sparring. He had invited Corianne and Audric over for practice - mostly because Rayla’s far too talented for his training alone. She needs to develop her own skillsets and he knows she can only do so through practice with other people. 

 

In fact, Corianne is still over when the messenger all but throws the door open, panting hard. “Runaan?” 

 

“That’s me,” Runaan frowns, watching as both Corianne and Rayla glance up from… whatever it is they’re doing over in the corner. Corianne has little, messy braids woven into her hair, and Rayla too has braids - although they’re much, much neater. 

 

“You’ve been summoned to the Lair of Dragons,” the messengers says, “humans have invaded Xadia.” 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

He arrives as quickly as he can. 

 

He’s not the fondest of flying - be it on a moon phoenix or some other creature - but the time spent in the air seems to fly by quickly with how heavy his heart is beating, how messy his thoughts are whirling together. 

 

When they arrive at the Lair of Dragons, Runaan can hear the sounds of fighting, can see the battlefield plainly. Humans and elves meet in a deadly dance, while the dragons fly overhead. 

 

It’s a messy battle. 

 

“Oy, you’re here too?” Duni- another member of his squad - appears next to him, right as he lands.

 

“Where are the King and Queen?” Runaan asks him, sliding off the phoenix with an awkward pat to the head. 

 

“In the lair, protecting the egg of the prince,” Duni replies, his silver blades out, “I’m headed that way. You coming?” 

 

Runaan thinks about Taaniya, and Kovai, and the guard they were assigned to, and he makes his decision, “I’m right behind you.” 

 

The two run through the thicket, approaching the cave and the surrounding area. Runaan feels his stomach sink as he watches the humans surge forwards and forwards and forwards. This - coupled with sickening realization as unholy magic flies through the air - makes him swallow in distaste and think. 

 

Hope. 

 

He’s barely a couple of steps into the cave when he stumbles on something he can’t quite see. He doesn’t want to look down. He can’t force himself to look down. Instead, he presses on, grateful for the night vision-esque sight he has as he treads on. Next to him, Duni is silent, daggers clutched tightly in his hands. 

 

The Lair is structured to be a labyrinth of sorts, with giant, winding tunnels spiraling down into the earth. It’s eerie, and eventually he and Duni come to a crossroads. Fighting sounds from both sides, and the two exchange glances. 

 

“You go left and I go right?” Duni asks. 

 

Runaan sighs and nods, “that sounds good, yes. Be careful.” 

 

His friend gives him a sly smile and nods, taking off towards the right. Runaan watches him go before he turns and grits his teeth, speeding his pace into a slight jog off towards the left. 

 

He reaches a clearing, and nearly gasps at what he finds. 

 

Taaniya is leaning heavily against the wall, a hand pressed against her side. In her other hand, she’s clenching her fist, her eyes reflecting her pain. 

 

“Taanya,” Runaan breathes, and then she’s looking up at him, her eyes widening from surprise to shock to something else he can’t quite read. 

 

“Runaan-” she starts, and then she’s wincing heavily and he rushes to her side. 

  
“What happened - where’s the rest of the Dragon Guard?” He asks her softly, providing himself as a crutch for her. 

 

Taaniya sniffs, her eyes half-lidded, “gone. The- the human mage, he- he did something. He’s close to finding the Dragon King, but he wants to, to…” she trails off, and then her eyes widen, “Runaan, you can’t be here.” 

 

“What are you talking about?” Runaan asks, unable to hide his shock from his voice, “of course I’m going to stay here, and fight.” 

 

“No, no, you have to go back- you have to keep training her- you have to protect her,” and she’s rambling now, her voice stuttering and hoarse, “my Rayla, you must save my Rayla.” 

 

“You’re her mother.” 

 

“But you raised her, and that’s something I will never be able to repay you for,” Taaniya’s eyes grow misty, “the mage already… he already got Kovai. Rayla knows you, she loves you. You have to… you have to tell her that I love her, okay?”

 

Footsteps echo down the caverns, and Taaniya stiffens, “he’s come back for me. You must go, Runaan.” 

 

“But-” 

 

“Go!” She shoves him away.

 

Runaan grits his teeth and shakes his head before taking a step back, jumping into the shadows. He doesn’t want to stay and watch, but at the same time, he feels that he needs to. He needs to know. 

 

A man steps into the clearing. He’s obviously a dark mage, what with the robes and the staff and the look in his eyes, that wild, human look. 

 

“Hello, elf,” he says with a grin, pulling out something from his pocket, “I recognize you. You fled from me earlier with that other one. The one who stayed behind to protect you.” 

 

Taaniya looks the mage directly in the eye and spits at him. 

 

The man scowls, holding out his hand, “very well then.” 

 

There was a flash, and a scream, and then she was gone. The man was holding something small and golden. 

 

Runaan wants to throw up, but he can’t. So he swallows and grimaces and, like a coward, runs.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Telling Rayla that her parents are gone is a lot easier than he’d thought it would be. 

 

He figured it would be accompanied by crying, maybe some bitter denials. Rayla had a habit of letting her emotions get the better of her, one that he’s tried for years to get rid of. 

 

And yet… 

 

“I already know,” Rayla avoids his gaze, sharpening the blades that Tikaal had made her. She’s moody and downcast and that kind of behavior - at least, from her - doesn’t come out of nowhere. 

 

Runaan purses his lips together, taking a seat next to her. She’s twelve, but she doesn’t act like it, and he honestly doesn’t know how to talk to her. 

 

He wishes he could. 

 

“Who told you?” He asks, as softly as he can muster. 

 

“The entire village is talking about it,” she drags the whetstone across her blade with an exaggerated shrill, still not looking at him, “how they were cowards who ran away from the fight.” 

 

_ That’s not true,  _ Runaan thinks, remembering the way Taaniya’s body had sagged, the wounds she had suffered before the mage made her disappear. Sure, he doesn’t know how she received the wounds, but surely it wasn’t by running away. Surely. 

 

He can’t say that though - can’t tell Rayla how much her parents loved her - without revealing his part in their fate. So, he stays quiet, allowing her to eventually sag against his side, a bitter look in her eyes. 

 

They end up moving to another village a year later. 

 

It is an unanimous decision between Runaan and Tikaal, decided one day when Rayla leaves to go run errands for the two of them and doesn’t return. With a shopping list that only should’ve taken her thirty movements at the most, when two full shifts pass, Tikaal sends Runaan out to go look for her. 

 

“It’s not her character to dawdle,” he explains, his fingers twisting worriedly. He’s always been the more… ah, motherly figure in Rayla’s life. Nevertheless, that biting concern is one they share, and Runaan heads out without any further explanation. 

 

He finds her backed in a corner, all but shrinking in on herself. She hadn’t brought her swords with her into the marketplace - none of them saw the need - and he sees the fruit of that in the bruises and scratches that mar her skin. She has neither coins nor supplies, but that becomes forgotten in the wake of the dull look in her eyes. 

 

It’s the first time since she turned ten that he carries her, gently, back to the house. 

 

Later, she explains what happens. How rowdy Sunfire elves had cornered her and taunted her about her parents. About how they stole the coins given to her, telling her that she could either steal the coins back “or be a coward”. When she refused to give in to their schoolhouse taunts, they all but attacked her, proclaiming her apparent cowardice. 

 

Runaan knew that other elves would see Rayla and only think of her parents, but the idea of children being caught up in that sort of politics disgusts him and Tikaal both. 

 

So they leave, and move to a village where nobody knows of Rayla. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Do you understand your mission?” 

 

Runaan glances up from his position on one knee, meeting the stare of both Dahliah and Regina Draconis herself. It’s the first time since the battle that he’s been summoned to the Lair of Dragons, and for what? 

 

A mission. 

 

“Yes,” he says simply, unsure of what else he could possibly say. A chance to bring justice to the humans that stole the lives of the Dragon King and the Dragon Prince, to bring justice to the ones that brought bad blood to the names of the eight Dragon Guard members… it is one he could not possibly refuse. 

 

Dahliah - the almost mystical startouch Voice, representative of the Dragon Queen - glances at the Queen, communicating silently. Several minutes pass, and then Dahliah’s looking at Runaan again, her yellow irises cold. 

 

“On your mission, you may bring a team of four others, as per the usual Moonshadow team. You may wait until the full moon in order to most effectively complete your mission. I will send you with a red hawk arrow, so that I may know immediately when the King and Prince are killed,” the startouch elf interprets. 

 

Runaan nods, and then hesitates. He has an idea - a plan - but he’ll need approval first and he knows it won’t come easy.

 

“With all due respect,” he starts, gritting his teeth as the Queen snorts, “but may I ask to include one other on this mission?” 

 

“...you speak of your charge, I presume?” Dahliah says, her voice as cold as her eyes. 

 

“Rayla,” Runaan nods, “I have been in charge of her training. She is the most talented elf I’ve ever trained, as strong and as skilled as any member of my team.”

 

“Her parents are traitors,” Dahliah frowns, “what makes you believe that I will willingly send the child of traitors on such an important mission?” 

 

“Rayla is not her parents,” he says, being careful to keep his voice level and even, “she has been under my care since she was but a child. Her parents have had no influence on her. Besides, I believe that a chance to redeem her name and prove herself is one worth taking. If something should happen, I will take full responsibility, but I do not believe anything will.” 

 

There’s a moment of silence, of more silent communication, before Dahliah nods, “very well. I give you permission to include Rayla, daughter of Taaniya and Kovai, with you as one of your team. If something should go wrong, I will hold you accountable.” 

 

“Thank you, Your Highness.” 

 

(It is of this meeting he remembers the most when he’s sitting in a dungeon, arms chained above his head, bruised and bloody and thinking about how foolish it was to drag Rayla into all of this. He should’ve known she wasn’t ready)

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“How are you feeling, love?” 

 

Runaan glances up at Tikaal, who it sitting at his bedside, hands fidgeting together. The couple of weeks he’s spent recuperating, his husband has been patiently at his side, obviously worrying himself to death. 

 

“Better,” Runaan says, his voice hoarse from disuse. The years spent trapped have taken their toll on his body, and it’s taken him this long to even be able to talk - let alone move. 

 

Tikaal lightly rubs at Runaan’s arm - the left one, the one that had, until recently, been squeezed and squeezed with the pressure of the blood binding. The constant reminder that his Rayla had not carried out the mission as he expected her to, but instead chose to run away with humans. 

 

It is a bitter truth, one that he can hardly swallow. 

 

It’s bad enough that he’s stuck here, in a lavish palace room, locked up in the human kingdom because he cannot move. It is luck that they were even able to free him from the coin, Tikaal had said. 

 

Still. 

 

He knows that Rayla is also here, somewhere in the Katolis castle. He’s seen her only a couple times, and each time while she must’ve thought that he was asleep. She creeps into his room when dreams of the past send Runaan into awareness, sitting on his bed where Tikaal sits now, a longing distance in her eyes. 

 

She hasn’t appeared in his room while he’s awake, though. No, it is only Tikaal and the occasional visit from the boy king that keep him company. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Runaan’s finally up and walking when Rayla pays him her first official visit. 

 

“Runaan,” she says, her voice overly cheerful in a way that betrays her true feelings, “it’s good to see you on your feet.” 

 

“Rayla,” he says, trying desperately to keep the bitterness out of his voice because theoretically he knows that she made the right choice, and yet… 

 

It was a choice that doomed the rest of his team. Corianne, Duni, Audric, Martyn… some of the only friends he had, gone, because they lost the element of surprise. Because the humans were ready. 

 

Because Rayla couldn’t kill. 

 

His conflict must show on his face because she flinches back, taking a step and then another.

 

“I just… wanted to come check on you,” she mumbles, “Callum and I are about to leave for Xadia, and…” 

 

“The human prince?” Runaan raises an eyebrow. 

 

Rayla nods, “he and I are ambassadors. Trying to keep the peace, you know?” She takes another step back, her gaze becoming downcast and moody, “he’s a good person. He cares. He’s the one that found you, you know.” 

 

“That changes nothing.” 

 

“It changes everything!” And then she’s raising her voice, lifting her head, “Listen, I understand. I know that humans killed the King and stole away the Prince. But to cast the blame on all humans is wrong. The fact that you are here and alive is proof of that in itself. You killed King Ezran’s father - he has every right to hate you, and yet he doesn’t. He understands.” She stops herself, taking deep breaths, “If believing in peace is cowardly, then go ahead. Hate me. “

 

“I don’t hate you,” Runaan forces himself to say, watching the way she startles at the words, “I could never.” 

 

Rayla stares at him for a good minute, her face devoid of emotion before her shoulders sag and she turns. “Get some rest,” she mutters, and then she’s gone. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

He’s living in Xadia once again, retired and just enjoying life, when he receives the invitation. 

 

Well, Tikaal receives the invitation. Runaan’s wonderfully forgiving husband never blamed Rayla in the first place, and, as such, never fell out of her favor. Still. While the invitation is addressed only to him, it is obvious that he’s not going alone. 

 

“Runaan!” Tikaal exclaims after reading the bird-delivered parchment, “Our Rayla’s getting married!” 

 

“ _ What _ ?” Runaan doesn’t miss the way Tikaal refers to Rayla as theirs, as if his relationship with her was never strained. Tikaal just bounces on the balls of his feet, handing the invitation over. 

 

And sure enough, the letter is from King Ezran.  _ Join us in celebrating the next step in peace between humans and elves, as we introduce the first official human-elf marriage between Prince and High Mage Callum of Katolis and moonshadow ambassador Lady Rayla. _

 

There’s more to the letter, but that’s all Runaan can force himself to read, and he immediately drops the letter, turning to Tikaal in disbelief. 

 

“Married to a human?” He asks. 

 

Tikaal just has this dreamy look on his face, “you didn’t see them together, Runaan. It was so obvious that they had feelings for each other, even if neither of them wanted to admit it. He brought out the best in her, you know.” At Runaan’s hesitant look, Tikaal places a hand atop of his own, offering a gentle smile, “at least give them a chance, alright?” 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

He gives them a chance. 

 

Despite knowing that the union in of itself is political, he doesn’t miss the loving glances the two send each other, the way the human prince twirls her around during the ceremony and has a constant hand on her shoulder. 

 

Runaan wants to forgive Rayla. He hates thinking about it, but he misses her in a way he didn’t think he’d ever miss someone. After all, he practically raised her. And besides… she still reminds him of Taaniya. 

 

This is why, when Tikaal suggests it, Runaan agrees to move closer to the border of Xadia and the human kingdoms. He can’t force himself to leave Xadia altogether, but he does want to be closer to his makeshift daughter. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Rayla stops by one day with a bundle in her arms. 

 

The baby is tiny, and it gives Runaan flashbacks to a time twenty years ago, the last time he looked down at an infant that small. The baby has Rayla’s light purple eyes already, although the thin fuzz of hair is dark. 

 

“I thought you would want to meet her,” Rayla explains, her tone soft, “her name is Soraya.” 

 

It is times like this that Runaan wishes the other coins that the dark mage had made - the ones lost to the world, the ones he misses fiercely - had been found, if only so that he could show Taaniya how big her daughter had gotten. How proud she would be, he muses. 

 

“She’s beautiful,” he says simply, leaning over to fully take in the beauty of the only halfling he’s ever seen. With her pointed ears and four fingers, she resembles Rayla far more than he’d thought. He can almost see the bumps on her little head. 

 

Runaan looks up, then, to glance at Rayla. She, too, is staring at her child, a fond smile on her face. 

 

“You’ve grown so much,” he says, causing her to look up at him, “I’m proud of you, Rayla.” 

 

And then she’s smiling at him, and while her smile is reminiscent of Taaniya’s, it is also entirely her own. 

 

He was right, he thinks, all those years ago. Rayla is her own person. And she’s so, so much stronger than he ever gave her credit for. 


End file.
